Tag Archives: Technical Support

We’ve all called the cable company, right? We all know the steps in the process; The unplugging, the replugging, the test signals. It descends into ridiculousness pretty quickly. So does my chat with technical support. This was after trying the unplugging/replugging solution, calling the line and getting the automates system to send a test signal to my cable box & tell me to wait a half an hour for it to take effect, and then talking to a real live person who sent the same signal, told me to wait 45 minutes for it to take effect, and managed to advertise their home phone and internet services… on a technical support call. That’s more annoying that seeing catering advertisements everywhere in Panera & Boston Market.

chat id: a543eaef-97d5-4dbf-b2ad-9222056467f0Problem: Not all channels are displaying on 2nd cable box s/n:############. Problem has been occurring all week. I have tried the unplug/replug trick, called the 800# 2x, automated sys & operator both sent reset signal to the box to no avail.Eric > My Issue: Not all channels are displaying on 2nd cable box s/n:############. Problem has been occurring all week. I have tried the unplug/replug trick, called the 800# 2x, automated sys & operator both sent reset signal to the box to no avail.Jerand > Hello Eric, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Jerand. Please give me one moment to review your information.Jerand > Oh my, I can’t imagine myself having those equipment issues especially that cable TV is part of my daily routine, no worries, we’ll definitely work on a sure fix to resolve this one way or the other.Jerand > I’m really sorry that you have experienced this issue.Jerand > I am seeing here that you have problem in getting channels with your box, correct?Eric > Thank you Jerand.Eric > That is correct. Not all channels are displaying on my box.Eric > For example, the History Channel. (#53 regular, 876 digital.)Eric > I had a similar issue when I first installed these new HD boxes.Jerand > Are you able to see history channel in channel 46?Eric > s/n above was somehow replaced by an emoticon… actual s/n: ############Jerand > How may boxes do you have, Eric?Eric > No, I try to see channel 46, and it takes it to 47 (AMC), still no picture.Eric > We have 2 boxes. The other one is working perfectly fine. Watching H2 right now in HD.Jerand > So you have 2 HD boxes, correct?Eric > Yes, that is correct.Jerand > Thanks for clarifying that.Jerand > I am going to perform a diagnostic check of your services and equipment. This “Health Check” verifies the current status of your equipment and you services. It should only take a minute or two for the results. Would you mind staying on the chat?Eric > No problem, Jerand. I would like this issue to be resolved tonight if possible.Jerand > Thanks for clarifying that.Jerand > I appreciate your cooperation.Jerand > Thank you.Jerand > By the way, let me share with you a very entertaining Comcast feature. Did you know you can watch many of your favorite TV shows and movies online at no additional cost with Comcast. Check out http://www.xfinitytv.com to watch the latest TV shows, relive a favorite television moment, or just relax with a movie. All you need to do is to open a browser, type http://www.xfinitytv.com and you can start to witness thousands of fascinating titles and TV shows.Eric > Thanks for your help, I look forward to the “Health Check” results.Eric > That sounds interesting, but I don’t watch much TV on my computer.Jerand > Thank you for patiently waiting. I apologize for it being longer than you expected.Jerand > I don’t see anything on your account or any outage in your area that would be causing this issue.Jerand > Can you please check on your box and see if there is any progress.Eric > Thanks Jerand. Our working cable box did cut out & come back on…but the box that’s not working is still not working.Jerand > Is that with the same box, correct?Eric > Yes, that is correct. Box ############ is still not working correctly.Jerand > Please bare with me.Eric > No problem.Jerand > Would you allow me 2-3 minutes to check on this again?Eric > Yes, be my guest. Thank you!Jerand > You are most welcome.Jerand > While waiting I want to introduce to you comcast.com, Comcast.com has an extensive series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that cover all of our products. Customers do not have to sign in to access the FAQs. Quick steps to do it. Open a web browser window and go to http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/HelpNFC.aspx?id=Comcast-Help-and-Support-Cable-TV On the home page, the navigation menus are on the left side of the window and click on Customers then Help and Support.Jerand > Oh, by the way.Jerand > Are you having skipping channel issues?Eric > I’m trying chat because both of my phone calls to 1-800-XFINITY amount to being as helpful as asking my wall to fix the cable box. I’m not sure what you mean by skipping channels?Jerand > Can you please tell me what channels are you trying to watch?Eric > Thank you for informing me about the FAQ. You may want to tell your managers/superiors that it’s quite annoying to have Comcast features or other services advertised to you while you’re on chat (or on a phone line) trying to resolve a technical issue. I understand that you’re just doing your job… so I can’t get mad at you. It’s a goofy idea.Eric > I am trying to watch the History Channel. Either 53 regular definition or 875 HD.Eric > Actually, the box that WAS working fine… now has “To Be Announced” in every time slot in the guide menu.Jerand > Sorry about the the advertisement.Jerand > When you access channel 53 and 758, TCM and HISTORY HD, what can you see on the screen?Eric > Again, I understand it’s not your fault or decision, Jerand. You are trying your best to help me out.Eric > I see a black screen (with a temporary blue info box at the bottom) when I try 53 & 758. Those aren’t the correct channels for my area.Eric > 53 is the History Channel here.Eric > The menu shows that American Pickers should be on right now, but it’s a black screen.Eric > No sound.Jerand > Thanks for clarifying that.Jerand > Hold on a minute please.Jerand > This is a rare and complicated issue.Jerand > This could be a box problem.Eric > No problem.Eric > Is there a way that I can get a new box to install?Jerand > May I know the type of connector that you are using to connect the cable box to your TV? i,e. RCA(yellow, white, red), Component(blue, green, red), Coax(the same wire used to connect the box to the wall).Jerand > Correct! It is really possible. You can swap your box at your nearest local office.Eric > Component.Jerand > Do you have an HDMI wire?Eric > The TV that I’m connecting to doesn’t have an HDMI input. It’s an older flat screen with only DVI, component, & coax inputs.Eric > I am able to see some channels with no issues. 802 (local KDKA channel 2 for example) is displaying properly.Jerand > Can we follow these steps please:Jerand > 1. Locate one of the following buttons on your TV remote- Input, TV/VCR, Source. Press whichever is available. 2. Select the correct input. Please take note of the following. ***If you are using HDMI cable wire to connect the box to the TV, make sure your TV is on HDMI input. *** If coax cable, it should be on channel 3 or 4. *** If component cables (colored wires), on Video or Aux.Eric > Yes, I have the component cable connected, and the TV is on the input setting for the correct connection.Eric > Jerand, I’m really really not an idiot. I’m actually quite technically savvy.Jerand > I’ve reviewed our systems and we’ve performed the necessary troubleshooting. Obviously there is still an issue so I feel the best method is to open a ticket to report this to our technician team.Jerand > I believe this is a defective box.Jerand > You can swap this box at your nearest local office, Eric.Eric > That would be awesome, but I work on the road & don’t have time to wait at home during the day for a cable technician to visit. Can I get a box in the mail & send one back? That’s how I got the HD boxes before.Jerand > Sure! I would be glad to do that for you.Eric > I have no idea where the local Comcast office is, or if I can even get there during their operating hours.Eric > Jerand, you are a saint. Thank you for your time and persistence.Jerand > Please give me a minute to process your request.Eric > When you tell your manager/supervisor that the advertisements are annoying to customers, tell them that you need a raise.Jerand > Acknowledge, Eric. I am sorry.Eric > I think we may have a bit of a language barrier here. English isn’t your first language, is it? No matter. We’re arriving at an agreeable solution, my friend.Jerand > Acknowledged*Jerand > I am sorry for the typo, I am handling 4 customers now.Jerand > But you are my first priority.Eric > Wow, that’s a lot to handle! Thank you for your time.Jerand > There would be a $9.95 fee for shipping the box, I will do credit this amount for an inconvenience.Jerand > In order for me to validate this shipping transaction, I need to verify the account completely. For verification purposes, may I please have your account number?Eric > Thank you, sounds like a plan.Eric > Sure: ______________Jerand > I am almost done, please give me 1 more minute.Eric > Anything for you, my friend.Jerand > Thank you for patiently waiting. I apologize for it being longer than you expected.Eric > This is the best customer service I have ever received from Comcast.Jerand > Here is your order # ______________.Jerand > You will be receiving the HD box within 3-5 business days.Eric > The people I talked to on the phone might has well have been robots.Eric > Thank you, Jerand. Good luck with your other 3 customers! Don’t forget to tell your boss that you deserve a raise. (…and that in-support advertisements are more annoying than nails on a chalkboard.)Jerand > You are most welcome.Jerand > Just a quick recap, we have check the input on your box, connections, and since we have detected that this a problem with the box we prefer to change to box. We shipped and I already credited the $9.95 shipping fee.Jerand > Just to let you know, at the end of this chat there will be a short survey. I would appreciate it if you would take a moment to complete it so we can continue to improve the service we provide to you.Jerand > Is there anything else I can help you with? I am glad to assist you further.Eric > Nope, that’s all tonight. I understand that a box is coming to my house, I will be credited the shipping charge, and that I know how to connect the box to my TV and select the correct input with the remote control. I also understand that there will be a survey. Will I get a credit on my cable bill for all the TV that I will miss in the next 3 to 5 business days while I wait for this box?Jerand > Sure, I will also make sure you will not be billed for the interval where you had no service, so no worries, this is as good as fixed.Jerand > Yes, you will be receiving that with 3-5 business days.Eric > Dude, that RULES.Eric > Thank you for your time & assistance.Jerand > You are most welcome.Jerand > Thank you for your patience and understanding as well.Jerand > Is there anything else I can help you with? I am glad to assist you further.Eric > Nope that’s all this evening, sir.Jerand > I would greatly appreciate it if you can spare a few seconds to take the survey. Your favorable answer will inspire us to continue improving our service. Once you click on “EXIT CHAT” it is located on the upper-right corner of the chat box, you can now “TAKE SURVEY” highlighted in red. I am glad that I was able to Resolved your issue, there is no additional steps needed. Your feedback would mean alot to me.Eric > Rock n’ roll! \m/ I’ll give you high scores on the feedback.Jerand > You are most welcome.Jerand > I appreciate your cooperation.Jerand > Take care of yourself for me.Jerand > Don’t forget the survey!Jerand > Thank you for contacting Comcast! We appreciate your business and value you as a customer! If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-mail (available 24 hours a day, 7days a week). Comcast also offers great FAQ and Help forums located at http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/ to help you solve many issues on your own. You can also reach us through our Hotline 1-800-9346489 or 1-800-XFINITY. To close the chat, please click the exit chat or end session button now. You take good care always and have a wonderful night!Eric > You too, my friend, you too!

Outsourced (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Apparently being a smartass can save you a couple of bucks off of your cable bill. It never hurts to ask, right? I could break down so many of those responses & analyze them… but I thought it was a fun conversation as a whole.

I took a survey afterwards, & left this in the comment box:

I had to call 1-800-XFINITY twice, then do a chat to get a resolution. Jerand who was the last to chat with me was an exemplary employee… despite what I perceived as a slight language barrier. Your tech support shouldn’t pretend they’re in the US when they’re not. Jerand is the man. Give him a raise.

Also… STOP WITH THE ADVERTISEMENTS WHILE I’M TRYING TO GET A TECHNICAL ISSUE RESOLVED. It’s annoying, insulting, and aggravating. Why would I want to order more services form a company that can’t provide me with ONE service that works properly?

On the Saturday before Christmas, we were headed to a family gathering & gift exchange. On the way, we stopped at Guitar Center in Monroeville so I could pick up a book of Christmas Carols that I had seen at the Guitar Center in Robinson. I didn’t find the same book, but was pleased with two that I did find.

Guitalele GL1 (Photo credit: matsuyuki)

Usually, I’m the one who lollygags in guitar stores, but the wife has taken up the ukulele, and over the past few years she’s the one that lingers near the ever-growing uke section at music stores. In Monroeville’s Guitar Center, the ukes were right by the music books, so we both started looking. Bethany was the first to spot our newest acquisition… The Yamaha GL1 “Guitalele“. We both were fascinated by it, and I played with it a little as she asked “Do you want this as an early Birthday present?”

At first, I said no and went to hang it back up, but flipped over the price tag and saw that it was $99.99. She gave me the “just get it” look, so we both new I just landed an early birthday present. I do enjoy the wife’s ukulele, but the GCEA tuning did always mess with me. Now I can play the ukulele without having to play the ukulele. Although, if tuned “properly” the guitalele should be ADGCEA. Of course, I dropped it to E because I didn’t like pretending it was a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. Although, I may have to get thicker strings or just suck it up & put it back in the A tuning. They’re sort of like rubber-bands at this point.

A simple question. I gave the easy, flippant, and predictable answer. Rock musicians are supposed to rail against the establishment and big business, right? Well, Guitar Center proves to be awesome here…

I only half-jokingly asked “Any chance I could get a gig bag or stand for free?” I mean, it never hurts to ask, right?

I was met with a response saying I was getting both of them for free! We discussed shipping details & the right size gig bag in a few more email exchanges… but they’re now on the way to me via UPS.

I’ve written to companies before, but I’ve never had any of them seek me out on a social media platform in a conversation that wasn’t even addressed to them. It’s pretty cool that Guitar Center believes in their price guarantee so much that they actively go after any perceived detraction. It’s also cool that they’ll not only go up against brick-and-mortar stores, but online retailers too.

That being said, the “little guys” could argue that they have no way to compete. They can’t buy in quantities & therefore probably not at such a low price… so there’s no way they can pass on such savings. Free enterprise, supply & demand, competition, it’s all very interesting & a continually evolving battle.

At any rate, I win out here… with a free gig bag & stand. So, thanks to Ya Jagoff!!! & Luke for helping to set the whole thing into motion! I’ll post some photos of the gig bag & stand as soon as I have them.

Lately I’ve been getting weird error messages when trying to text to the shortcode of a local radio station. Since my messages were trivial feedback or text requests, I wasn’t really all that concerned… and there other ways to get a hold of the DJ’s. Out of curiosity, I forwarded the error message to my phone, and then emailed it to a local radio personality… and we discovered an oddity amongst ourselves. I decided to pop it into an email or two or three to Sprint, as I have acquired many customer service email addresses over the years.

Thanks to Dave again for editing help on the email to Sprint. I get excited with this stuff, and it’s damn-near impossible to proofread your own work with any sort of clarity or efficiency.

Reads how the story unfolds below, DJ’s identity protected by request.

I have had several interactions with Sprint customer service before, and they usually go like this or like this. So, please pardon me if I sound confoundedly abrupt, direct, or belligerent. I will try to be as direct & concise as possible in describing this error, which may have an effect on a great number of customers.

The following is an email exchange that I had with a local radio personality today after emailing him out of frustration that every time I text to the number pimped out over the air, I get some sort of error message. Full contents of that message below…

From: Me me@myemailaddre.ssSent: Wed 12/2/2009To: [DJ] DJ@station.comSubject: [shortcode]?Every time I try to text you guys from my phone at [shortcode], I keep getting this message…

Please pardon the “devil incarnate” crack, but again, I refer you to this and this… and I only wish I had saved my correspondence about splitting my phone from another plan years & years ago that was mired with “network issues” and a lack of any real solutions until I elevated it to a level where it trickled down to a regional manager to handle.

As you can see, any and all text messages to [shortcode] for their text requests, feedback on “[show segment]”, or general harassment of the DJ’s, may not be going through on the Sprint network. I checked my phone dialing skills, and my fingers are indeed functioning properly. [DJ]’s comment “of the last 50 txts or so, not one is from Sprint” ought to concern you, or at least throw up the proverbial red flag if you will. How [DJ] comes to this conclusion, I know not, but he is a seemingly intelligent person, and who am I to question his knowledge and authority on the subject? Would you dare question him?

It seems odd to me that a shortcode would expire for one network, and not any others. Again, I know nothing of cell phone and data networks and their mysterious inter-workings… I’m just making a guess based on the evidence presented to me.

If the issue is a network problem, I felt that you might like to be notified, so this is that. If the problem is simply with my phone or plan, I’d like the issue resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance for your time, I hope to hear from you soon… and I really hope it’s not an automated response. I hate automated responses with the line “please do not reply to this email”. Seriously. Who wants to read that? I would rather read… “If you don’t have a response from us within X# business days, please contact blah-blah@bowdownto.sprint.gov” or something like that. And please, please, please… do not ask me to call any automated numbers… or provide my phone number to “discuss the issue”. I don’t want to discuss the issue. This is why I took the time to construct a thoughtfully worded and calculated email.

Inquisitively,
-Eric

Heh. I really wish I had that 1st set of Sprint correspondence somewhere. It was highly entertaining. At any rate, got a few responses today already. I’m amazed at the degree of difference.

Thank you to all of you who helped our customers report this, and for those of you who sent these up to me. This was posted yesterday, please let your customers know Sprint is engaged with our roaming partners to resolve this issue as soon as possible. No ETR at current.

· Customers may get an “error 3” message when SMS Text Messages are sent.

· Voice and data roaming is not impacted.

· Sprint is aware of the problem and working with their roaming partner to determine root cause.

· No resolution time has been determined.

· Updates will follow when available.

Actions:

If a customer contacts you about problems sending or receiving text messages while roaming:

· Apologize for the inconvenience and let them know that Sprint is aware of the problem and working as quickly as possible to resolve it, however there is no resolution at this time.

Do not enter a trouble ticket

So, basically, “It’s a network issue that technically isn’t our fault, we have no idea what we’re doing and no resolution at this time even though you pay us a ridiculous amount of money each month for service, sorry.”

While I don’t believe that I’m in roaming when I send these texts, as I’m at work, on top of a large hill, not far from the city, and in an area where my reception & service seem to be consistently good… I can appreciate that this may be related to a larger-scale issue. Why would a roaming issue give me an error message about an expired shortcode?

You’re welcome! I was online reviewing emails when I got your message. I believe it has to do with roaming partner agreements etc. While your phone will not tell you that you are roaming (it usually only alerts you while a voice call is made) it code be your location and the proximity to a roaming partner (usually Verizon) tower.

Try setting your phone to “Sprint only” in your roaming settings and see if it helps. May not change the error though but the company is aware of an issue with sms texting.

It’s Verizon’s fault? Verizon is SMS-blocking me and a local radio station? I can see by the icon on my phone that I’m not in roaming where I’m trying to text. Odd. This is a route we’re not getting anywhere with. Luckily, I have other replies…

Thanks for the quick reply! I don’t believe I’m in roaming… I am not too far from the city, on top of a large hill, and in an industrial park when trying to text. I never have any reception rpoblems or roaming notificatons when I’m here at work… and the icon on my phone doesn’t indicate that I’m in roaming.

Well, for starters, my wireless number is in the original email if you’re paying attention. It’s the 10 digits in front of the SMS email address. Dave and Kristin (my editing friends) would have a field day with the sentence ended by “at”. Oh, look! I did it again. Oh well, I needed to keep this one going…

Well, I have no idea why I have this store’s contact info, as it isn’t near me, or where I got the phone. So… I’m not about to go to that store for that reason. The other reason being that I tried to send a text to a shortcode multiple times, and got the same result multiple time. I described in details the problem I was having, and I even provided the exact text of the network error message, including a specific error code. “Error Msg 1051″ is in the subject line of the email! [DJ] says that he hasn’t received any text messages from Sprint in the last 50 or so that he had received. It’s obviously not an error with just my phone.

At least Sarah accepts the fact that it may not be part of this larger blanket “Verizon text-blocking” issue.

I haven’t decided how to reply to this yet… as customer service at sprint seems to have time & time again locked me into an endless loop of email/call the #/come to the store/call the “special” #/go to the store/… Repeat ∞.

I understand that you are unable to send messages to the short code
[shortcode]. I apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced. To
resolve this issue, please contact a Technical Support specialist by
calling (888) 211-4727 and follow the prompts for technical support
assistance. In order to potentially test your Sprint handset, it is
important to call from another phone.

Further, to protect your Sprint account from unauthorized access and
changes, it is important that we confirm your information.

Please reply to this email and provide me with your:

1. First and last name
2. Email address
3. Wireless telephone number
4. Billing address

We value your business and appreciate the opportunity to address your
concerns. Please reply to this email or visit Sprint.com/mysprint if we
can be of further assistance.

Wow, do I have several issues with this. Just wow. I think it warrants a bulleted list!

“Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding message to a short code.”/“I understand that you are unable to send messages to the short code [shortcode].” – So, you did read my emai? Cool! Finally!

“To resolve this issue, please contact a Technical Support specialist by calling (888) 211-4727 and follow the prompts for technical support assistance.” – So, you didn’t read my email? (Especially at the bottom where I said “And please, please, please… do not ask me to call any automated numbers… or provide my phone number to ‘discuss the issue’. I don’t want to discuss the issue. This is why I took the time to construct a thoughtfully worded and calculated email.”) Well, boo to you, my friends.

“Further, to protect your Sprint account from unauthorized access and changes, it is important that we confirm your information.” – You goofy sons of… items 1 through 3 are all mentioned in the 1st email. It’s an email, so you have my address and first and last name… and again, the phone number was listed. So, I need to email you my billing address and call the 888 number that’s been programmed into my phone for the past 2 phones…? For what? To start the endless cycle noted above?

“Please reply to this email or visit Sprint.com/mysprint if we can be of further assistance.” – I sent you this email for assistace in the first place. I don’t need further assistance… I need an actual occurance of assistance before I can request further assistance. In fact, I don’t even think I need assistance. I think you need the assistance with your network, and I think Verizon needs assistance in text-blocking you.

Wow. I’m not sure where to go form here… but you can see how this is a downward spiral of nonsensical steps in order to (I think) exhaust me to the point where I no longer care about the problem.

And, was that advertisement for themselves at the bottom of the tech support email? Really?

Maybe I should ask Verizon why they’re text-blocking me?

The shortcode you are attempting to use has expired and is no longer a valid short code.